Donald Trump has urged Sir Keir Starmer not to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, warning that the prime minister is “making a big mistake”. The US president’s latest intervention on his Truth Social platform reverses his earlier support for the deal, which would see Britain cede sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory while leasing the largest island, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base.
Just days after the US State Department officially backed the agreement, Trump wrote that Starmer was “losing control of this important island by claims of entities never known of before” and called the lease “tenuous, at best”. He added that if Iran failed to make a peace deal with the US, it might be necessary to use Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford to “eradicate a potential attack”. Trump concluded that the land “should not be taken away from the UK” and urged Britain to “remain strong in the face of wokeism”.
The UK’s shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, described Trump’s remarks as an “utter humiliation for Starmer”, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the US president’s “flip-flopping” showed the approach was “doomed to fail” and called for stronger ties with European allies. A Foreign Office spokesperson defended the deal, stating it was “the only way to guarantee the long-term future of this vital military base”.
Meanwhile, British authorities issued removal orders against four Chagossians who landed on Île du Coin in the Peros Banhos atoll this week in an attempt to complicate the transfer. The orders warn that returning would be a criminal offence punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of £3,000. The deal has faced opposition from some Chagossians, who accuse Mauritius of neglect, while the UN committee on racial discrimination has urged both sides not to ratify the agreement.
